Formulating with fiber: Research touts vast gut health and functional benefits

The nutrition industry sees substantial opportunities for fiber-fortified nutrition as consumers are more aware they need to increase their uptake, and research advances highlight the benefits of fibers and prebiotics beyond gut health. At the same time, experts caution that there is increased market scrutiny as some products contain too much or too few fibers to meet claimed benefits. 

Nutrition Insight explores fiber-fortified product health benefits with professionals from Sensus, COMET, Tate & Lyle, Alland & Robert and Ingredion. 

“The future of fiber fortification looks bright with significant advancements expected in both product development and consumer awareness,” says Eszter Heijnen, commercial manager at Sensus. 

“Innovations like chicory inulin and oligofructose are paving the way for versatile and palatable fiber-enriched products. As we understand more about the gut microbiome and its health implications, demand for prebiotic fibers will grow,” she adds. 

Heijnen adds that fibers support immunity and mental well-being beyond digestive health. “They are also beneficial in balanced nutrition for specific target groups, for example, those on weight loss medications. The challenge will be clearly and compellingly communicating these benefits to consumers.”

Hannah Ackermann, a registered dietitian and Comet’s VP of Marketing and Nutrition Affairs, says clinically proven prebiotic fibers can provide a natural and sustainable alternative to popular GLP-1 drugs.

“In a recent study, researchers found that prebiotic fiber shakes improved metabolic health, digestion, and health-related quality-of-life scores like sleep, mood and energy levels.” 

“The space is wide open for other biotic foods and drinks to appeal to consumers’ interest in mechanisms other than glucagon-like peptides that regulate appetite in the brain, improve insulin responses and improve satiety — or a feeling of fullness — well after a meal is consumed,” says Ackermann. 

Overdosing or “fairy dusting”

As consumer awareness of prebiotics continues to rise, Ackermann also observes increased scrutiny in the market. For example, in June 2024, the US “gut-healthy” beverage brand Poppi was sued because the drinks did not contain sufficient agave inulin prebiotic fibers per can to meet health claims. 

“The lawsuit exposed issues with the most popular prebiotic on the market, inulin, including the high dose needed for claims. This lawsuit invited skepticism of all prebiotic products and put the prebiotic category under national media scrutiny.”

She observes two crucial issues in the market: some companies underdose active ingredients (“fairy dusting”) while others add too many prebiotic ingredients. 

Ackermann observes increased scrutiny in the market, saying that a high dose of inulin is needed to make health claims.Ackermann says that using structure or function claims without including the efficacious amount of active ingredients hurts the industry. “When a consumer is willing to pay for added benefits, but sees none, they question the repeat trial of that product and may even hesitate to try other products claiming similar benefits.”

She explains that manufacturers may overdose a prebiotic fiber to ensure enough will survive processing steps, such as high heat in beverages, which causes many prebiotics to break down. 

“Many fibers that break down at high heat become monomeric sugars. This calls into question label integrity. Added costs cut into manufacturer margins,” Ackermann adds. “Additionally, some prebiotic fibers, such as inulin, may cause gastrointestinal upset. When greater quantities are intentionally used to offset production losses, consumer acceptance can become an issue.”

She urges the industry to focus on science-backed claims and validation certificates. For example, Comet’s wheat fiber extract, Arrabina prebiotic fiber, has been certified by NutraStrong Prebiotic Verified product certification to validate its science and efficacy.

Digestive health and beyond

Abigail Storms, Tate & Lyle’s SVP of fiber and Sweetener Platform, sees potential for fiber-fortified products as research advances link fiber intake to health benefits, including gut health, immunity, weight management, mental health, heart health and diabetes support. 

“Just last month, leading gut research center APC Microbiome Ireland published its study showing that a combination of a probiotic and prebiotic (a synbiotic) can significantly and potentially reduce heart muscle damage caused by diet-induced cardiac disease,” says Storms. 

“The growing understanding of the gut microbiome and the ongoing research in this field are influencing various other areas, including the gut-brain and gut-cardiovascular axes.”

Heijnen says chicory root’s inulin and oligofructose are versatile, well-tolerated and have a neutral taste.Storms highlights a Tate & Lyle peer-reviewed modeling study for the Chinese population that quantifies the material health gains of increased food fortification in the market. Without requiring significant behavioral change, fortification could prevent or delay “85,340 type 2 diabetes cases and 73,065 deaths due to cardiovascular episodes annually.”

“As governments, health systems and industry partners look for real-world solutions to the health challenges they face, here is yet more evidence showing the societal benefits of product fortification with fiber for health.” 

In addition, Storms notes that Tate & Lyle’s proprietary Ingredient Perception Survey 2024 found that consumers want to add more fiber into their diet — 46% of UK, 37% of German and 50% of consumers based in North America. 

“We expect that more and more food and drink categories will add fiber to their formulations to deliver more nutritious, healthier food and beverage profiles.”

Chicory root formulations

Sensus’s Heijnen says that the prebiotic fibers chicory root inulin and oligofructose represent significant opportunities for fiber fortification as they are versatile, well-tolerated and have a neutral to slightly sweet taste.

“These fibers can be added to a wide range of products, including dairy, bakery items, beverages and healthcare nutrition, making it easier to increase fiber intake without compromising taste or texture.” 

She highlights that the increasing awareness of the fiber gap and prebiotics’ digestive health benefits drives consumer demand for fiber-enriched products. “The link between gut health and other health aspects, such as weight management and mental health, further boosts interest in prebiotics.”

Heijnen urges manufacturers to communicate fiber’s benefits effectively and develop products catering to consumer preferences. She says consumers must be educated on the benefits of proven prebiotics and their role in the gut microbiome. 

Research links acacia fiber to physiological benefits, such as reducing bloating and bowel pain (Image credit: Alland & Robert).“Developing fiber-fortified products that meet taste and texture expectations, particularly with insoluble fibers, can be complex.” 

Frutafit CLR PrebiSol, Sensus’s latest product innovation, is a highly soluble chicory-derived inulin innovation that meets European digestive health claim criteria. Heijnen says that its solubility and sweetness allow the prebiotic to be used in foods from cereals, cereal bars and bakery products to confectionery, dairy products, beverages and supplements. 

Combining efficacy with sustainability

Dr. Isabelle Jaouen, R&D director at Alland & Robert, highlights the need to make fibers easier to use and more environmentally sustainable so that food manufacturers can fortify products with these ingredients. 

“Technology innovation can have a strong impact on the manufacturing processes of consumer products. Processing improvements can increase solubility and dispersibility, facilitating its inclusion in powdered beverages, meal replacement shakes and dietary supplements,” she says.

Last year, the company launched a new range of acacia fiber manufactured in high-density granules — Beyond Acacia. Jaouen explains this range makes the company’s products “energy-saving and easier to use with excellent dispersion abilities.” 

“This new range allows our customers to decrease the time and energy used in their process thanks to improved solubilization, superior wettability and excellent hydration properties. In addition, Beyond Acacia provides environmental exemplarity with a carbon footprint reduced to its minimum on all scopes.” 

Jaouen adds that the company expects more efforts to ensure transparent and durable fiber sourcing in 2025. 

“At Alland & Robert, we adopt responsible harvesting techniques and sustainable production processes, given concerns over ecological impact, and are offering Fair Trade certified acacia (FFL certification).” 

Fiber fortification also enables creating products with lower sugar content, says Bailey.Functional fiber

Meanwhile, Vanessa Bailey, senior manager of Global Strategy and Innovation in Healthful Solutions at Ingredion, says fibers can also provide functional benefits, such as replacing sugar and improving texture, in addition to health benefits. 

For example, she notes a rise in the US in “new products that combine fiber with vegan, plant-based and sugar-related claims.” 

However, Bailey cautions that adding fiber to a food or beverage can impact a product’s taste or texture. “Thoroughly testing the ingredients in the end product is crucial to ensuring an optimal experience. Having a partner with application expertise is also important.”

“Excitingly, fiber is now appearing in new categories such as beverages and confectionery, including gummies, chocolate and ice cream. This presents an opportunity for consumers to indulge in a slightly healthier way through added ingredients such as prebiotic fiber.” 

“As more consumers strive to take control of their health, I expect fiber to be incorporated into new and unexpected categories,” Bailey concludes. “The category of prebiotic carbonate beverages barely existed a few years ago, and now it’s everywhere. I anticipate that there will be a similar phenomenon in another category soon.”